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Imagine you've spent your life saving up, working hard, and
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building a family. One fateful day, you decide to take
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the plunge and purchase the home of your dreams. But
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as you move in, you realize someone is watching you
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and sending you letters with thinly veiled threats, and no
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one can figure out who or why.
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What you were about to beat spur to be you.
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Based on witness accounts, testimonies, and public record, this is
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terrifying and treat.
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For those who've seen the Watcher series on Netflix or
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are true crime officionados themselves, it may seem like the
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story of six point fifty seven Boulevard and the Watcher
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is relatively benign compared to murderers and kidnappers. It may
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seem like it's almost harmless fun. But as you listen
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to today's show, I want you to really take a
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moment and try to empathize with the plight of this family.
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Take a moment to really consider how you would feel
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if you were constantly receiving anonymous letters detailing your life,
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where you go, when you go, and the lives of
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your young children. Will be getting to all of that
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after these quick words, Once upon a time in a
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suburban neighborhood of Westfield, New Jersey, a stately home at
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six fifty seven Boulevard became the scene of a peculiar
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and chilling tale. It begins in June of twenty fourteen,
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when the Brotus family, Derek and Maria, along with their
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three young children, were on cloud nine, having just purchased
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their dream home. Little did they know their dream was
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about to morph into a nightmare. Shortly after the closing,
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before the Brotus family even moved in, a letter arrived.
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It wasn't a welcome note from the neighbors or a
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misplaced pizza menu. No, it was the first of many
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sinister communications from someone who called themselves the Watcher. This watcher,
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who claimed to have been monitoring the house for decades,
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was keen on letting the new occupants know that they
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were being watched closely. The letters included details about the
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broadest family that rattled them to their core, indicating surveillance
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was so meticulous. It included mentions of their children's names
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and hints about watching them play from the outset. The
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Watcher revealed an intimate knowledge of the house and its surroundings.
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In an unsettling display of awareness. Their first letter to
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the Broadest's arrived merely two days following the house's sale closure.
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This letter was not a welcoming gesture, but rather a
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harbinger of the unnerving times ahead. The watcher lamented the
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transformation the area had undergone due to new wealth, subtly
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insinuating a long standing familiarity and possessiveness over six fifty
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seven Boulevard. Their reminiscence of the nineteen sixties, a time
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they aimed to wander through the house's rooms, imagining the
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life within its walls, hinted at a disturbing level of
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attachment and perhaps past physical presence inside the home. Although
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the initial letter did not specifically name the Broadest family,
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a follow up note eerily addressed them with a phonetic
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distortion of their name as Bradus. More alarmingly, it accurately
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mentioned the names of their three young children, listed in
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the correct order of their birth. Such precise details underlined
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the Watcher's meticulous surveillance, revealing they were privy to the
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family's comings and goings. Their knowledge even extended to mundane
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details like the family's vehicles, a Mercedes and a Honda minivan,
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underscoring the depth of their observation. The correspondence from the
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Watcher maintained a conce distant style. Envelopes marked with messy
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handwriting contrasted with the typewritten contents inside. Each concluded with
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a signature in a distinct cursive font different from the envelopes.
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Addressing this choice of presentation, especially the shift in handwriting
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for the signature, may have been an attempt to add
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a personal, if unnerving touch to these communications. The Watcher's
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communications took a noticeably more personal tone. In their third
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and final letter of that summer, they expressed a peculiar
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sense of longing, questioning the Broadess's apparent absence from the
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house with quote, where have you gone to? Six point
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fifty seven Boulevard is missing you? This statement, coupled with
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previous messages, painted a picture of an individual deeply fixated
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on the home, its occupants, and the lives unfolding within
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its walls. This series of letters, beginning with a cryptic
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introduction and escalating to direct acknowledgement of the Broadess's movements
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and family details, encapsulates a haunting narrative of surveillance, obsession
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and the unsettling reality that the family was being watched
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by an unseen, unknown entity. In a twist fit for
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a legal thriller, the Broadesses filed a lawsuit against the
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previous owners, claiming they knew about the watcher but kept
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silent during the sale. As the court case added layers
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to the drama, no decisive evidence was found to prove
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previous knowledge. The lawsuit fizzled out, much like many of
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the lighthearted dreams the family once had. Meanwhile, the mystery
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of the watcher's identity remained as stubborn as a decade's
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old bloodstain. Internet sleuth suggested theories, changing from a disgruntled
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ex neighbor to a complete and utter hoax, but nothing
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seemed to stick. The trail was as cold and gloomy
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as a fog laden graveyard at midnight. By March of
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twenty nineteen, an entire five years after the Broadest family
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had made the substantial purchase of their dream home at
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six fifty seven Boulevard for a sum of over one
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point three five million dollars, their lives had taken a
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turn filled with dread and unease. As a result, they
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made the difficult decision to sell the property. However, due
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to the disturbing events that had unfolded, they had to
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offer their once cherished home at a significantly reduced price,
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asking for nine hundred and ninety nine thousand dollars. The
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real estate listing tried to recapture the charm of the property,
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highlighting its unique allure and urging ptential buyers to experience
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its quote endless character firsthand by visiting in person. Despite
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their ordeal, the Broadesses held on to a faint hope
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that perhaps a developer would see the property's potential and
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choose to demolish the house, thus eradicating its eerie past. However,
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that option never materialized. Instead, the house appealed to a
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young family from the local area, willing to purchase it
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at an even lower price of nine hundred and fifty
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nine thousand dollars. This transaction marked a staggering loss for
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the Broadesss, not just because of the reduced sale price,
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but also when considering additional financial burdens they bore through
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agent's fees and commissions. A familiar agent handled the sale,
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just as they had in twenty fourteen. Along with the
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one hundred thousand dollars they'd spent on property taxes, not
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to mention other costs for utilities, home insurance, renovation contractors,
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as well as the fees for lawyers and private investigators
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they'd engage to unravel the mystery of the Watcher. As
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the sale neared completion, Derek brought us sent an email
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that delineated his sixtieth mortgage installment of five four hundred
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and ninety five dollars and thirteen cents, a stark reminder
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of the financial strain for a home they felt compelled
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to leave uninhabited. With the closing date imminent, the Broadesses
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made one last gesture. Through their real estate attorney, they
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passed on a note to the new owners of six
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point fifty seven Boulevard. It was a message filled with
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the Broadess's unresolved longing for tranquility, expressing their hopes that
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the new owners would find the serenity that had eluded them.
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Accompanying the note was a photograph displaying the watchers peculiar handwriting,
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a precaution should the ominous letters resume to date, the
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quiet that the Broadestes had yearned for seems to have
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settled over six fifty seven Boulevard. No new incidents or
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letters have emerged, leaving the haunting saga of the Watcher
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for the moment at a RESTful standstill. In the following years,
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after purchasing their dream home, the Broadest family experienced a
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level of anxiety and fear that drove them to eventually
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sell their house at a loss. With the property sold,
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they must have hoped for closure. However, questions and uncertainties
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about the case of the Watcher remained, leading to further
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attempts to investigate and find some resolution. When the mayor
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of the town of Westfield spoke back in twenty fifteen,
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he had full confidence in the police investigation, assuring that
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it was thorough and left no question unanswered. As time passed, however,
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this confidence waned the police had not even spoken to
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some of the nearest neighbors during their investigation. The Broadest
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family sought additional help by hiring various professionals, a retired
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New York Police Department officer, a forensic linguist, and a
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former FBI agent. Their goal was to delve deeper into
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the mystery. Unfortunately, the Westfield Police Department turned down their help,
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and later on, when the town's police chief retired amongst
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unrelated scandals. It cast further doubt on the thoroughness of
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the investigation. Baron Chambliss, a former officer who reinvestigated the case,
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was openly critical of the department's handling of it. Realizing
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the limitations, the case was turned over to the Union
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County Prosecutor's office. They started anew which was a move
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one might assume would bring fresh energy to solving the case. However,
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Vince Gagliardi, who was previously the chief of detectives, admitted
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that this type of case was not their usual focus,
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being more accustomed to dealing with serious crimes like homicide
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or financial fraud. Despite putting in considerable effort, without new
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leads or evidence, the case ground to a halt. Then,
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an article published about the strange events spurred the prosecutor's
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office to try something new. They found saliva on an
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envelope believed to be from the watcher, which suggested a
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female culprit. This led to an unorthodox request to collect
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voluntary DNA samples from the local community. Most neighbors cooperated,
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not wanting to appear guilty by declining. Unfortunately, none of
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these these samples matched the DNA gleaned from the envelope.
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The Broadest Family was understandably desperate for more information and
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continued to ask questions who had agreed to provide samples,
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which suspects had been eliminated due to the DNA not matching.
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The answers were not forthcoming, and it came to light
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that some people hadn't been home when the DNA drive
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was conducted, and a couple of individuals had outright refused
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to participate, among them one close neighbor who was initially
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considered a suspect. Hoping for a breakthrough, the Broadest is
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proposed using forensic genealogy, a new and somewhat controversial method
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that uses DNA to trace an individual through their relatives.
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This method has been used in various cold cases, with
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some researchers claiming a significant success rate, particularly among Americans
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of European descent. The prosecutors off however, declined to explore
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this option, stating they hadn't used it before and prioritizing
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their resources on more violent and unsolved crimes was prudent.
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Despite the Broadest Family offering to cover the costs for
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the application of these genealogical forensics, to their case and others,
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The answer remain no, leaving them with a continuance of uncertainty.
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With an inactive yet unclosed case, The story of the
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Watcher remains without a concluding chapter, the Broadest family enduring
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another setback in their quest for answers, and six fifty
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seven Boulevards standing wrapped in an unresolved enigma as the
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public and the family wonder if they will ever truly
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know who the Watcher is. Detectives believe the Watcher is
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likely someone older who lives close to six fifty seven Boulevard.
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Investigation centered around two neighboring families, but DNA tests didn't
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find a match. Without new evidence, the only hope now
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is for someone to confess, especially since some early suspects
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have passed away. Many wonder if the Broadest family made
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it all up, but this theory doesn't quite make sense.
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Maria broad Us appeared genuinely distressed and the ordeal brought
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them significant anguish without any obvious benefit. Insinuations of a
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hoax don't align with their evident suffering. This brings about
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one last question that is very important. Is there any
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interest left in the town about this case? Yes, and no.
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Westfield itself has a bit of a reputation and an
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eerie history. The John List murders from nineteen seventy one
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and the town's famous native Charles Adams, the creator of
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the Adams Family, mark Westfield's eerie legacy. This kind of
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history influences how locals react to the ongoing mystery of
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the Watcher. Some residents express genuine concern for the Broadest
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family and the nightmare they endured. However, this sentiment isn't universal,
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as certain townspeople harbor negative feelings due to the widespread
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attention the case has attracted, putting Westfield in an unwonted spotlight.
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There is a clear division in town. While some sympathize
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with the Broadestes, others are doubtful of their story, suggesting
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that they might have fabricated the events for reasons unproven
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and unknown. Vince Gagliardi, a former investigator on the case
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now retired, has noticed a disheartening attitude within the community
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towards the Watcher saga. He shares a poignant moment that
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illustrates his concerns at a public event. An award winning
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Gingerbread house modeled after the infamous six fifty seven Boulevard,
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complete with references to the Watcher's letters, was showcased. This instance,
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along with a jest made by the new police chief
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during his speech thanking Gagliardi while poking fun at the
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unresolved case, highlighted a lack of serious regard for the
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family's ordeal by some in the community. Gagliardi's disappointment arises
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not just from the office's inability to crack the case,
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but also from the mockery and insensitivity he perceives from
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fellow citizens. He emphasizes the importance of empathy and solidarity
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within the town beyond the mere role of a detective.
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Decades on, the figure known as the Watcher remains a
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shadowy enigma. While many Westfield locals have gradually distanced themselves
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from the chilling tale and resumed their daily lives, the
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story itself transforms into an urban legenden thrill for dare
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seeking teens to snap a picture at the notorious six
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p fifty seven Boulevard, and now with the release of
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The Watcher's Story on Netflix, a renewed wave of curiosity
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as awakened, enticing outsiders to delve into the unsettling details
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of the case. Nevertheless, despite the theories andromatizations, the genuine
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identity of the ominous Watcher who once sent the broadest
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family into a spiral of fear remains hidden, leaving the
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question of their true intent unanswered. Terrifying and True is
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narrated by Enrique Kuto. It's executive produced by Rob Fields,
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Mark Shields and Bobletopia dot com. It's produced by Dan